"M12 Marabou Dropship" - Razor Class Prowler
Even though he is missing a leg, the Didact struggled greatly as Commander Aloros levitated him into the stasis pod for transport.
"You plan on ransoming me, Human, but you should've killed me instead because the entire ecumene will rally to crush your weak empire." Spat the Didact as Commander Aloros dropped him into the pod.
The commander looks at him and crosses his arms to think before replying, "You would've made great stew!"
The Didact looked puzzled for a minute because he was unable to comprehend what he has just heard before his face sours and he says, "So high and mighty, Humans, so steeped in your false beliefs about the mantle would resort to cannibalism?" He then laughs and continues, "You race is nothing but sava-"
He was abruptly cut off as Commander Aloros backhands him across the face and replies, "You barbaric (redacted) murdered countless innocents."
And with that the Commander engaged the stasis field and watched as the Didact froze, locked in stasis, and preserving his body and mind for as long as the commander desired.
As Commander Aloros walked out of his ship's brig and into a cargo bay, Nab and Merodach greet him with a warm hello and Merodach continues with, "Commander! We're going to arrive at Serpent base in less than 30 minutes."
Commander Aloros with a jovial smile then replies, "Excellent, I want a status report on Captain Pahas."
Nab then dutifully said, "The refugee fleet and the Mantle's approach have safely arrived at Serpent Base, our main FOB." He then tilts his head and continues, "There are rumors that the Mantle's Approach will be made into a museum ship, dedicated to the Humans that died due to the Forerunner invasion."
The commander could not be any happier as but before he could reply, Nab puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "Commander, I've seen you smile more today than you would smile in a year. Was that female Forerunner...?"
Commander Aloros cracks a smile and replies, "Yes Nab, she killed my mother when I was just a child but today I got my revenge and for the pain she caused me, I gave her a..." The commander searches for words as he tries to emphasize his point euphemistically and continues, "A most fitting death."
The trio then walks to the mess hall as it is supper time. All the while joking of their past exploits and the inadequacies of the Klingons plus the capture of the Maethrillian.
Once they reached the fabricator, Nab pulls out a small data crystal chip and syncs it with the machine to which Commander Aloros inquisitively remarks, "What are you making tonight, Nab?"
Nab then looks deviously at the commander and says, "Warrior Servant."
At his words, but the Commander's and Merodach's eyes bulge out of their sockets as they had never imagined Nab was being truthful when he joked about eating Forerunner flesh.
Nab then explains, "I managed to get a DNA sample of the Didact from his severed leg and fed that instruction to my combat skin's ancilla as she synthesized the flesh and," He looks around for Marada, who was already waiting at a table along with Kinziru and replies, "Marada gave me one of her pot roast recipes so I'm having Didact pot roast."
Without a word, Merodach walks away looking disgusted and joins his comrades. Commander Aloros bellows a hearty laugh as he then says, "Nab, you're something else!"
Nab and the commander then join their friends at the table and Alpha team then talk about their possibilities of a life outside of the military as the war was almost over.
"So you threw her out of the airlock?!" Asked Marada as she almost choked on her food.
Commander Aloros, with a slight laugh, replied, "As I've already said, a most fitting death." To which everyone agrees and laughs at the Commander's choice of words. The commander then turns to Nab and asks, "How is that pot roast?"
Nab looks up from his meal and replies, "Honestly, my buddy from the Naval Academy was right, it does taste like bison."
Marada then trying to fit together the pieces after which she astounded replies, "You madman, no you didn't" After which she devolves into laughter.
After Alpha team finished up eating and resumed their duties on board their ship, they receive a hail from the Bellicose.
With a swift order from Commander Aloros, Cassa, the shipboard ancilla accepts the communication request and puts it on the holo screen.
"Commander Aloros and Alpha team!" Greeted Captain Lakhmu as he delivered a tight Terran Salute to which the entire Alpha team mirrored.
The captain continued, "I trust Alpha team is fitting in well with her new Prowler, R.O.N.I(Republic Office of Naval Intelligence) and the Lord of Admirals saw fit to finally transfer Alpha team to Covert Ops as we near the end of our conflict with the Forerunners. Although I am sad to see you go, I know that Alpha team will continue to make a difference for humanity wherever your light spreads."
Commander Aloros then replies, "Thank you for these kind words Captain, it was an honor to have served under you and to have worked with the crew of the Bellicose, the finest ship in the Republic!"
The Captain genuinely smiles and then becomes stoic again, clears his throat, and says, "Burnam has captured a most important Forerunner asset and I think it would compliment Alpha team's prisoner well."
With that said, a live feed of the Confirmer in his cell can be seen on the ship's holoscreen. He can be seen sitting dejectedly in a corner with his head hung low as he contemplated his future.
The captain then says, "Burnam has made an official request to join Alpha team, although discretion is entirely up to your Commander."
Commander Aloros then replies, "I will need to test her more rigorously as Alpha team is an elite fireteam."
To which the Captain salutes then ends the call. But not even five seconds after which the call was terminated, Cassa reports, "ETA to Serpent base 5 seconds, Alpha team."
Just as Cassa said, five seconds later, Alpha team's prowler drops out of FTL and they marvel at the sight that beheld them.
Humanity never once was able to come close to 15,000 lightyears of the Maethrillian, but here it lied, conquered, and brought to its knees by the combined might of the Republic milliary.
The top deck of the Maethrillian has completely been ripped off by the now dormant Human-made star roads which guarded Serpent base like an intimidating bouncer at a nightclub. A smaller structure orbited the Maethrillian, which Alpha team surmised was Serpent base.
Serpent base was also large in its own right but as a wartime construction project, it lacked the grandiose decorative qualities that the Maethrilian held. But that is not to say it wasn't beautiful at all. It pulsed with a dangerous blue light and the industrialized angular look made it even more menacing.
Commander Aloros pilots his Prowler to his designated landing zone and walks down the hardlight ramp with the Alpha team and the paralyzed Didact in tow.
Soldiers, engineers, mechanics, and civilians alike gawked at the sight of the one-legged Forerunner. They all recognized the Didact's face as he was the infamous Commander in chief of the Forerunner military.
A Human wearing civilian combat skin started a slow clap which capitalized the positive emotion in the room and to which every person started clapping loudly as Alpha team stepped off the ramp. The clapping builds to a crescendo as the famed Commander Aloros face comes into view having fully stepped off the ramp. Alpha team is proud and happy underneath their solemn guise as they deliver a crisp Terran salute. The crowd salutes back and as Alpha team continues on their way, many rush up for autographs and to shake hands.
Epilogue
In the Star Trek Universe, the Federation thrives as a Tier 1 civilization but their odd heterogenous government sets them back from further developing into a Tier 0 society. Captain Pike is promoted to Admiral Pike after the Massacre of the Qo'noS at the hands of their now departed allies. A small sect of Humans and aliens alike have begun to worship the Bellicose as a Deity after the Captain Pike's debriefing was leaked to the public. With such unharmonious forces at play and multiple species vying for power within the Federation, they turn to the Church of Bellicose as a uniting force. Within a century, the two sects "Angels of Destruction" and "Avengers of Earth" have become the dominant religious forces in the galaxy.
The Didact and the Master Builder Faber were sentenced to death for their crimes against Humanity shortly after Alpha team delivered them to Serpent base and the Confirmer spends the rest of his days in a cell. The Didact's wife, the Librarian lives out the rest of her life as a fugitive on the edges of Galaxy as she constantly watches her back trying to escape Republic Police.
The Precursor ancilla tasked with the Forerunner Domain made contact with Humanity and abiding by the original wishes of his creators, the Precursors, he welcomed Humanity with open arms and shares his information.
Alpha team and the entire crew of the Bellicose are given the "Hero of the Republic" medal and "Legion of Merit" awards for their actions that changed the course of Humanity. The Human Republic High Commander was originally going to let Tamzi's "impersonation" of a superior officer pass but due to Gula's and Pheonix team's repeated protests, recommendations, and their respective personal clout as war heroes, Tamzi was ultimately given the rank, Colonel post mortem and was also awarded the "Hero of the Republic" medal and a "Senatorial Citation" for his extreme bravery and self-sacrifice.
The Republic now spans 5,000,000 worlds after a few decades following the defeat of the Forerunners. The Forerunners themselves have been stripped of all of their military and industrial capabilities and now live peacefully as farmers and hunter-gatherers on Tier 7 planets. Those planets are guarded by peacekeeping fleets controlled by a trans-sentient ancilla. The Forerunners will never again rise to power.
The Maethrillian has been transformed into the Museum of Humanity, replacing the original on Edom which was destroyed during the Forerunner invasion of the planet. The Mantle's Approach has been towed to Charum Hakkor where it is in geosynchronous orbit around the South Pole, signifying the Forerunner's defeat. As for the ship itself, it is also a museum dedicated to the Bellicose and Alpha team, the two entities which were instrumental in bringing about the Human Victory.
The Bellicose was decommissioned 200 years after the end of the war and she too became a Museum Ship honoring the finest crew in Republic history, some say that in the dead of night, one can hear the now transcendent Nab make jokes about eating Forerunners in the mess hall.
The San-Shyuum are also stripped of their technology for their treachery in betraying Humanity and the Republic. They are confined to their homeworld and live bitterly as they ruminate about the days when they were a great species.
The shaping sickness came back but its intentions were oddly peaceful.
A Precursor Keymind representing the Andromeda Galaxy sought an alliance with Tier 0 Humanity to which the Humans accepted having learned that the entire war with the flood was a test that they passed. Having lost family members to the shaping sickness, many have their doubts but they eventually come around and embrace their creators, now their comrades in open arms.
The Galaxy thrives in peace as the Human Republic thrives and nurtures various races as the Precursors intended.
Alpha team accepts Burnam into the fold and puts down many Forerunner insurrections before the fireteam disbands in the following millennia of peace after the war. Nab becomes a famous stand-up comedian and makes jokes about tasting Warrior Servant flesh. Captain Lakhmu retires from the military to live with his granddaughter and her family and they all love his war stories. Kinziru becomes the Lord of Admirals after Fortencho dies of old age. Merodach, having found solace from the horrors of war as a writer, writes about his experience as a member of the most decorated fireteam in history, Alpha team. Finally, Marada becomes the Moral and Spiritual leader of the Republic after the people vote overwhelmingly in her favor.
Commander Aloros, having made peace after getting vengeance upon the Forerunner female that killed his mother and saving also Humanity settles down to a peaceful life as a farmer on Erde-Tyrene. He and Burnam eventually get married in the following years after the Human victory. They have two children together, one named after the Commander's late mother Beltis and the other named after Captain Lakhmu of the Bellicose. They grow old even as their combat skins delayed aging as much as possible. And after one hundred thousand centuries, they both pass peacefully and become metaphysical entities of energy and forever safeguarding the Human race with vigilant eyes from the heavens.
Look out in the coming days for a new story about Ancient Humanity!